Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members have been treated to a new perk that revolutionizes the way they play: the ability to stream games directly to their consoles without the need to download them. This exciting development was announced today via an Xbox Wire news post, detailing that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can now enjoy streaming games from the Game Pass catalog, as well as "select games they own," on their Xbox Series X, S, and Xbox One consoles through cloud streaming.
Previously, this feature was accessible on smart TVs, PCs, smartphones, and Meta Quest headsets, but its introduction to consoles marks a significant milestone. It allows users to bypass lengthy download times and conserve valuable hard drive space, enhancing the gaming experience.
To access this feature on your Xbox console, follow these steps:
- Go to My games & apps > Full library > Owned Games.
- Cloud playable games will be marked with a cloud badge on their game page. Use filters to streamline your search by selecting Filter > Ready to play > Cloud gaming.
- To begin playing, select the game and choose Play with Cloud Gaming. You can also start streaming directly from the Store app after purchasing select cloud playable games.
Conversely, users can also stream any game installed on their Xbox consoles to devices with supported web browsers via this link. Note that this feature is no longer supported on the Xbox mobile app but remains accessible on phones through the browser link. Xbox is also expanding this feature to Samsung and Amazon Fire smart TVs, as well as Meta Quest headsets.
In another noteworthy update, Xbox announced that starting this month, Xbox and Xbox 360 backward compatible games will support remote play, further enhancing the flexibility and convenience for gamers.
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According to Xbox, these updates are part of a broader initiative to optimize storage space on Xbox consoles. The Xbox Wire post highlights a new feature in the console's settings that offers recommendations for managing hard drive space, accessible through the My Games & Apps > Manage menu.
Xbox's efforts to expand storage capacity come in response to the ever-increasing size of modern game installations, such as those seen in titles like Call of Duty and Baldur's Gate 3. For those needing more storage even with these new features, we've compiled a list of the best storage options for the Xbox Series X and S. This is particularly useful if you're not ready to invest in one of the newer Xbox models that boast increased built-in storage over the original versions.
